Game board



Sept. 6, 1938. J. R. CHRISTIAN GAME B OARD Filed April 2, 1937 TTORNEY Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE GAME BOARD John Russell Christian, Martinez, Calif.

Application April 2, 1937, Serial No. 134,584

3 Claims.

This invention relates to game boards used in conjunction with an indicator which is moved or thrown over the surface of the board by a player so as to indicate to the latter the next succeeding move in the game.

It is an object of the invention to provide a game board having removable charts so that a Variety of games may be played thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game board upon which two or more players may operate simultaneously without mutual interference.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game board, having removable playing charts, in which the elements, which hold the removable charts in position on the board also function to divide each chart into a plurality of stations into which the movable indicator may enter.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a convertible game board which is simple to construct and capable of withstanding a large degree of rough usage.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will be speciiically set forth in the specification hereunto annexed. It is to be undei-stood that the invention is not to be limited to the particular species thereof shown and described as various other embodiments thereof may be employed within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the game board.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof. The plane of section is indicated by the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmental vertical sectional view of one of the grooves.

At the present time there are a number of games, all played in a similar manner, which are enjoying widespread popularity. These games all relate to finance such as real estate and stock and bond transactions and involve considerable sums of play money. The games are thus educational as well as entertaining. There are however two objectionable features inherent in these games. The rst of these is that the progress of a playerI is determined by casting dice, the player being then required to move his counter or game piece along a defined path a number of stations equivalent to the number displayed by the dice. After he has made his move the dice are passed to the next succeeding player and so on. As most of these games require several hours to play it will be seen that the above described method of determining the players progress tends to extend the playing time materially thus causing the game to become monotonous and the players to rapidly lose interest. The second undesirable feature is that play on the board is confined to the type of game related to the permanent printed legends thereon and therefore the novelty of the game, after the latterI has been played a few times, quickly wears off.

I have o-vercome both of these objectionable features by providing a game board upon which two or more players may operate simultaneously so that their plays will overlap and the time required for several people to play the game is reduced to an absolute minimum. In addition to this I have provided the surface of the board upon which the plays are indicated with removable inserts so that, by substituting a new set of inserts for those originally provided with the board, new games played in an entirely different manner and according to a completely changed set of rules may be enjoyed so that it is improbable that the players will lose interest on account of playing the same game over and over.

In detail, the game board is constructed much like a roulette wheel and comprises a large disk 4, preferably wood, which is provided on one surface with a plurality of concentric grooves The side 'i of each groove, adjacent the center of the disk, is perpendicular and the outer side of each groove is provided with a grooved raceway 8 in which a spherical indicator 9 is adapted to roll. The bottom of each groove is provided, as shown in Figure 3, with a shallow recess l l in which one of a plurality of annular charts I2 may be placed. A sloping surface i3 is provided joining the upper edge of the side of the recess I l and the lower edge of the grooved raceway 3. Secured in suitable apertures, formed in the vertical side 'i of each groove, is a plurality of spaced pins lll which lie on top of the charts so as to maintain the latter in the recesses Il and also to divide each chart into a plurality of stations each of which is identified by printed legends I6 on the charts.

The center of the disk 4 is provided with a pair of spaced concentric walls l1 which provide an annular groove in which is secured, in spaced relation, a plurality of inserts i8 so as to form several pockets i9 in which various denominations of play money'or' script may be placed. The central recess 2| formed by the inner wall I'l may be used as a repository for game pieces or the like.

In operation, the player grasps the ball or indicator 9 between his fingertips and throws it along one of the raceways 3 whereupon the ball will be held in the groove of the raceway by centrifugal force. As soon as the momentum of the ball has been dissipated the latter will `leave the raceway, roll down the sloping surface I3, and over the surface of the chart l2 and the pins i4 until it comes to rest in a station on the chart between two of the pins. The player, by reading the directions printed on the chart at the station in which the ball comes to rest, is instructed in the next move of the game which may be to receive a reward in play money taken from one or more of the pockets i9, to roll the ball in any one of the other runways, or the like.v

Since the charts I2 are held in the recesses Il entirely by the pins I4 it will be seen that by withdrawing all of the pins, the charts may be lifted from the recesses and replaced by others, the pins then being replaced to hold the new charts in place. Thus if it is desired to change the charts on the gameboard, which may relate to real estate transactions for example, this may be readily done as explained above and new charts inserted which may relate to sports, such as football or baseball, or to travel. It will be seen therefore that the nature of the game may be changed entirely by interchanging the charts and that the likelihood of the game becoming boresome is entirely eliminated.

In order to provide reminders for the several players to indicate to them which raceway they are toy cast their indicator in, the ridges 22 between each of the grooves B are provided with sockets 23 into which colored or otherwise marked pegs, one of which is assigned to each player, may be removably placed. Thus the player is able to keep track of his progress in the game correctly.

I claim:

1. A game board comprising a disk of material having a circular channel in a surface thereof, there being a circular groove in the bottom of said channel, a chart of sheet material removably disposed in and substantially filling said groove, means secured to said disk for retaining said chart in said groove and for dividing said chart into a plurality of defined sections, said means terminating short of the outer periphery of said channel to provide an unobstructed passageway along said outer periphery of the channel along which an indicator capable of entering said defined chart sections may be moved.

2. A game board comprising a disk of material having a circular channel in a surface thereof, there being a circular groove in the bottom of said channel, a chart of sheet material removably disposed in and substantially lling said groove, means secured to said disk for retaining said chart in said groove and for dividing said chart into a plurality of defined sections, said means terminating short of the outer periphery of said channel to provide an unobstructed passageway along said outer periphery of the channel along which an indicator capable of entering said defined chart sections may be moved, and a sloping surface within said channel and extending between sides of said groove and passageway.

3. A game board comprising a disk of material having a circular channel in a surface thereof, there being a circular groove in the bottom of said channel, a chart of sheet material removably disposed in and substantially filling said groove, a plurality of spaced pins secured in said disk at the inner periphery of said channel, said pins overlying said chart to retain the latter in said groove and dividing said chart into a plurality of defined sections, said pins terminating, at their free ends, short of the outer periphery of said channel to form an unobstructed passageway along said outer periphery of the channel along which an indicator capable of entering said defined sections of the chart may be moved, and said channel having therein a sloping surface connected at one end with said passageway and terminating at the other end thereof at one side of said groove along which said indicator may move in passing from said passageway to one of said chart sections.

JOHN RUSSELL CHRISTIAN. 

